by Jeremy Hance / Mongabay
“The majority of people are unaware of the dimensions of the biodiversity crisis,” said Quentin Wheeler, founding director of the IISE and ESF president. “The top ten is designed to bring attention to the unsung heroes addressing the biodiversity crisis by working to complete an inventory of Earth’s plants, animals and microbes. Each year a small, dedicated community of taxonomists and curators substantively improve our understanding of the diversity of life and the wondrous ways in which species have adapted for survival.”
As of 2009, scientists have described nearly two million species (exactly 1,941,939 species), a process that began with Carolus Linnaeus in 1735. Yet despite some 275 years of discovery, scientists believe there are many more species remain undescribed on Earth than described. Estimates of Earth’s total species range from three million to 100 million, but more recent estimates have put the number in the seven to ten million bracket. Yet if microbes are added the numbers could be much, much higher, perhaps even upwards of a billion.
Yet even as we know so little about the species we share the planet with, many are likely vanishing. Scientists estimate that current extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times the natural rate. Deforestation, habitat loss, over-consumption, climate change, and ocean acidification may mean we are entering an age of mass extinction to rival the comet that killed the dinosaurs. But still there is much left to protect and finding new species could be key as to how, according to Wheeler.
“By studying the millions of ways in which organisms have met challenges, we open a great library of possibilities for meeting our own needs more sustainably.”
For pictures of all top ten newly discovered species visit Mongabay
Out of around 18,000 new species described and named last year, scientists have highlighted ten in an effort to raise awareness about the imperiled biodiversity around us. Each species—from a teddy-bear-like carnivore in the Andes to a microbe that survives clean rooms where spaceships are built—stands out from the crowd for one reason or another. The top ten list is an annual event by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s (ESF) International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE).“The majority of people are unaware of the dimensions of the biodiversity crisis,” said Quentin Wheeler, founding director of the IISE and ESF president. “The top ten is designed to bring attention to the unsung heroes addressing the biodiversity crisis by working to complete an inventory of Earth’s plants, animals and microbes. Each year a small, dedicated community of taxonomists and curators substantively improve our understanding of the diversity of life and the wondrous ways in which species have adapted for survival.”
As of 2009, scientists have described nearly two million species (exactly 1,941,939 species), a process that began with Carolus Linnaeus in 1735. Yet despite some 275 years of discovery, scientists believe there are many more species remain undescribed on Earth than described. Estimates of Earth’s total species range from three million to 100 million, but more recent estimates have put the number in the seven to ten million bracket. Yet if microbes are added the numbers could be much, much higher, perhaps even upwards of a billion.
Yet even as we know so little about the species we share the planet with, many are likely vanishing. Scientists estimate that current extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times the natural rate. Deforestation, habitat loss, over-consumption, climate change, and ocean acidification may mean we are entering an age of mass extinction to rival the comet that killed the dinosaurs. But still there is much left to protect and finding new species could be key as to how, according to Wheeler.
“By studying the millions of ways in which organisms have met challenges, we open a great library of possibilities for meeting our own needs more sustainably.”
Read more at http://news.mongabay.com/2014/0522-hance-top-ten-new-species-2013.html#rfAPvFuD74vIhKAZ.99
